Pat Dougherty: Wellington Water Chief Executive defends 'staff wellbeing' purchases bought with ratepayer money - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Wellington Water's boss is defending spending ratepayer money on skincare for staff and mindfulness workshops.

The under-fire agency has confirmed it spent more than $10,000 on wellbeing workshops in the recent financial year - including nutritionists and skin checks.

Chief Executive Pat Dougherty says it's important to be a caring employer.

"Good staff are hard to find - you'll want to attract them and keep them."

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